The humanitarian situation in Afghanistan has shown initial signs of improvement, with the United Nations reporting a significant reduction in the number of people in need of assistance this year. Afghanistan's economic collapse, triggered by the collapse of the government, the Taliban takeover and the subsequent withdrawal of foreign aid, has left the landlocked country in crisis.
For two years, aid agencies have warned of mass starvation and famine. Last year, the UN reported that more than 29 million Afghans needed assistance. Although Afghanistan's population has grown to an estimated 44.5 million, the number of people in need of aid has since dropped to 23.7 million this year.
“In Afghanistan, a fragile progress has tenuously stabilized conditions, reducing immediate needs,” the UN Global Humanitarian Overview 2024 states.
The reported decrease in humanitarian needs has led to a significant reduction in the UN-led Afghanistan appeal, from $4.6 billion in 2023 to $3.07 billion this year.
Aid agencies, however, warn that the situation remains fragile.
“Although the numbers have improved, the situation is still terrible,” said Becky Roby, advocacy manager with the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC).
The economic stabilization is at an “unacceptably low level and most households remain extremely vulnerable to shocks,” Roby told VOA.
The UN and aid workers attribute the improvements to massive humanitarian operations over the past two years, which have provided food and protection to millions across Afghanistan.
Despite a staggering 53 percent funding gap in the 2023 humanitarian appeal, the increased contributions from donors like the United States, the Asian Development Bank and the European Union have played a crucial role in mitigating the crisis.
“On a micro level, we’ve seen instances where Afghans step in to help one another, for instance, after natural disasters,” said Ali Latifi, Asia editor at The New Humanitarian, a nonprofit humanitarian news agency.
General licenses from the US Treasury, offering specific waivers for financial transactions to circumvent sanctions, have played a crucial role in enabling the flow of remittances to Afghanistan. These funds provide a lifeline for many households with relatives abroad.
Meanwhile, de facto Taliban officials say their economic policies and efforts to tackle corruption have contributed to stabilizing inflation, market disruption and the private sector.
Foreign assistance has also been crucial in the limited economic stabilization Afghanistan has achieved since 2022.
Aid agencies, however, emphasize that ongoing Taliban restrictions, particularly the ban on women's work, continue to significantly impede and weaken humanitarian activities.
However, when confronted with concerns that the Taliban’s misogynistic policies could jeopardize this aid, Taliban chief spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid retorted in an online forum last month, “We don't need their assistance. Spare us from their [foreigners’] harms.”
More than half of Afghanistan's population, 23.7 million - including 12.4 million boys and girls - are considered in need of humanitarian assistance, but agencies will not be able to reach all of them.
With the humanitarian system facing a severe funding crisis, humanitarian organizations will be targeting fewer people. The UN-led humanitarian appeal for Afghanistan this year seeks $3 billion to assist 17.3 million people.
Due to a lack of funding and pressure from donor countries, aid agencies will implement a more rigorously targeted response this year, focused on the most vulnerable, leaving millions of others with severe needs unmet.
However, there is still a critical funding gap in the country's response. As of March 26, the 2024 appeal has only received 7 percent of the resources it needs.
“Without the right funding, implementers will not be able to deliver adequate humanitarian assistance, and ultimately this means that people's basic needs will go unmet,” the NRC’s Roby said.
Afghanistan remains in the grips of one of the world's largest humanitarian crises. The country has been battered by protracted conflict, poverty and natural disasters, including floods, drought and earthquakes.
More than 15.8 million people in Afghanistan – one third of the population - are estimated to be acutely food-insecure between November 2023 and March 2024, including nearly 3.6 million people in emergency levels of food insecurity.
Some information for this report provided by VOA.